“Like Terra Coop, Gulf South Rising realizes the importance of self determination, and solidarity when confronting the ecological challenges that our world faces.”
– by TROY ROBERTSON
My experience with the Gulf South Rising delegation has been quite rewarding thus far. As a delegate, my duty was not only to be the voice of frontline communities in the Gulf South, it included connecting the Gulf South’s narrative with frontline communities across the world. Eager to connect the Gulf South’s narrative to other frontline narratives, my curiosity had taken me to an urban farm in Luxembourg city.
There, I met Marco, a visionary and cofounder of Terra Coop, an agroecological center in the heart of Luxembourg city established in 2014. Terra Coop is a community based agrarian alternative rooted in the local economic model of food distribution. This community based agricultural innovation is the brainchild of young visionaries seeking to institute a new social ecology. Shortly after arriving, Marco took us on a tour of the urban farm. He showed us the rainwater drip irrigation system which uses gravity to put rainwater specifically where it is needed in the gardens. We had the opportunity to see the the mushroom garden, a recent addition to the urban farm.
All and all, this experience has taught me that there is a solution to the modern agricultural crisis humanity faces. However, this solution can not be found within the chambers of congress, or within the policy of any corporate initiatives. It can only be found within the self determination of individuals ready and willing to enact change. Resilience cannot be defined by any government or corporate entity, but rather embodied and lived by the people and their community. Like Terra Coop, Gulf South Rising realizes the importance of self determination, and solidarity when confronting the ecological challenges that our world faces.